While it has always been the plan for Michael Rogers to line up at the Tour de France, Rafal Majka was a late addition to the Tinkoff-Saxo roster after Roman Kreuziger had to forfeit his participation due to his blood passport case. Both riders are ready for the challenge of fully supporting Alberto Contador in his quest to win the race.

With his 13 years of experience in the world of professional cycling, Michael Rogers is a highly valued rider in Tinkoff-Saxo'sTour de France line-up. At the same time, he’s a tireless power house on both flat sections and on the climbs, even in high altitudes. He’s the obvious capitaine de route with his high intelligence and ability to read the race. After having missed out on the first months of the season, he returned in Liege-Bastogne-Liege. In the Giro, he took two stage wins demonstrating that he might be on top of his career.

“I come to this year’s Tour in an excited state of mind after a successful Giro d’Italia in May and a reconfirmed result in Route du Sud in June. My role first and foremost will be assisting Alberto in his quest to win this year’s Tour. Being my 10th edition of the race, I know I have a wealth of experience to draw from. I will be constantly looking for tactical opportunities for Alberto to gain time on his rivals, particularly in the mountain stages. 

"I still dream one day of winning a stage of the Tour. Given the chance to pursue that dream, I will do my best. With a very technical first week of the race, I expect a very aggressive and dynamic race. I believe we have a balanced team to handle the various race scenarios that may arise.

"I will split my personal expectations in two parts.  Firstly as we have seen so many times in previous editions, the importance of passing the first week of nervous racing is a huge task. I will do everything in my power to make sure my team get through unscathed.  In the later part, once the race is starting to settle, I will turn my attention to the mountain stages where my task will be to support Alberto,” Rogers concludes.

The only 24-year-old Rafal Majka is still getting stronger as well as more experienced and we are yet to see his full potential. In this year’s Giro d’Italia he made a stunning and tenacious effort despite the fact that he suffered from stomach pain in the final and most demanding week of the race. He’s looking forward to doing his very best to support Contador in the quest for overall glory in France.

“Doing the Tour de France is truly something special and for such a young rider as me, it’s an honor more than anything. In addition, I’m really excited about this year’s edition of the race and I think it’s going to be a thrill to watch for the home viewers and the fans on the road as well. We have a strong line-up and I’ll do whatever I can to support Alberto in the mountains in our goal of taking the overall victory,” concludes Majka.